


Witches of the Sea

by Biltchibo



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Angst, Captain Sawamura Daichi, F/F, Literally Everyone Else - Freeform, M/M, Merperson Akaashi Keiji, Merperson Kageyama Tobio, Merperson Oikawa Tooru, Merperson Sugawara Koushi, Mutual Pining, Pining, Rating may go up, Slow Burn, dunno where life is gonna take me, god help me, i've been procrastinating this idea for months now, kind of?, this is my first long fic, this story has life of its own
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2020-09-28 23:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20434232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Biltchibo/pseuds/Biltchibo
Summary: "Sugawara Koushi always thought the ocean was the most pacific place he could be. Even during storms, where it's true power would show capable of sinking even the most well-prepared ships, with the bottom of the ocean disturbed by the unforgiving waves, even then, Suga felt at peace, because heknewthe same ocean that took was the one that gave. It wasn’t just his place of living, it felt like an old friend."Or the one where Suga is a merman, Daichi is a pirate captain, they're both looking for something taken away from them and will find help in each other.





	1. The man who could listen.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I _had_ to post this. It was staring back at me for months, _judging_ me for not committing to it.  
So now we're here for the long ride. I don't know how long it will take or where will it lead me, but _godDANGit_ I surely will try to follow.  
English isn't my first language, so please forgive any mistakes and feel free to tell me!  
Also, this "debut" is dedicated to my friend thehunterandtheangel, who helps and inspires me so much and I _cannot_ be thankful enough!

**“I must be a mermaid, Rango. I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living.”**

**Anais Nin**

  
  
  


Sugawara Koushi always thought the ocean was the most pacific place he could be. Even during storms, where it's true power would show capable of sinking even the most well-prepared ships, with the bottom of the ocean disturbed by the unforgiving waves, even then, Suga felt at peace, because he _knew _the same ocean that took was the one that gave. It wasn’t just his place of living, it felt like an old friend. 

He would always know when something was happening, when there was a storm or a particularly large fish shoal was approaching, and when questioned how he knew he would say _“the ocean told me”_. It was true though, the ocean would tell anyone it’s secrets, all you had to do was listen. And Koushi was a great listener.

He grew up in a closed shoal, they didn’t trust anyone, even other mermans, because they were surrounded by their sweetwater siblings. And if there was one thing Suga knew for sure was to _never_ trust sweetwater merpeople. No sir, thank you very much. They were treacherous, _sneaky_ bastards, who lived by themselves and were _always_ messing around with their fish. It seemed all jokes and fun until one of them was impaled by a swordfish. Not all of them were lucky enough to escape the confusion that was an escaping shoal of swordfish.

But being a merman didn't mean he had to enjoy living underwater, he'd met a few of them who'd rather live on the surface, the sun warming up their skin. _“It’s the best thing in the world”_, they would say, but the thing was that Suga felt _ alive _ swimming. He would trade everything for the feeling of freedom he felt every time he passed through a tube, breaking it in half or swimming around the reef, seeing the beauty of the ocean at night. 

It was his safe place, and even when humanity started to explore, not a long time ago, the sea would always belong to the mermaid people. None of them could navigate the ocean as well as they could, and they never would, he’d be adamant about it.

Of course, he'd never properly _interacted_ with humans, only observing them in the distance, he wasn’t the one addicted to them, that was Akaashi’s thing – who was always reading some literature about them. Fascinating creatures, they were, yes. Defying every limit, as they were not supposed to live in the seas. But they were as fascinating as dangerous. He'd heard the stories before. Mermaid hunters, cruel men who spent their lives chasing, capturing and selling mermaids.

Suga felt sorry for the shoals who had lived through that. Hell in the ocean, dead brothers and sisters, captured others too. Nautir forbid when they put their hands on the children to do whatever the hell they wanted. It made his blood _boil_.

It never went through his head that it could happen to them. 

It came at dawn, with no warning. He woke up as if it was going to be another normal day. He was running by his tasks like he did every day, and taking care of the youngest was always a pleasure, they were excited to learn, their youth was refreshing, and then there was tumult and sudden screams. 

Not knowing what was in fact happening, Suga reunited the children closer to him, diving deeper and already looking for a place to hide them, as the protocol demands: Find somewhere dark and safe, they’re more likely not to search there and there’s no way their nets could reach there, and stay as much needed until the fuss was over and they could deal with the damage. That was the plan and Suga was sticking with it.

“What’s the problem?”, he heard one of his other partners ask desperately outside the cave as he entered, counting if they were all there.

“Hunters, Kageyama was the one who warned us, he was always the fastest.” oh no, not Tobio. Suga basically raised Kageyama, the boy being two years younger than him, he couldn’t handle if something happened to him. But Suga had _a mission_. He was _sticking_ with it. “Apparently, he was visiting Oikawa and Akaashi, they were responsible for the vigil when it all started. He said there were 4 ships at least that he could see, but there may be more.”, that was a literal sign he shouldn’t fucking move from where he was. He needed to protect the children. Tobio was fine. Tooru and Keiji would take care of him. _Man on a mission, Suga_. “He went back as soon as he delivered the message. I think one of them was caught.”

Suga felt ice in his veins.

“Take care of the young, keep them all here and together. Make a count for them _every_ ten minutes. And. _Don’t_. _Leave_.” Suga glared as one of them was clearly going to contest, “I said _stay_. It’s an order from your superior.”

Using hierarchy was not something he liked to do. Usually, he would be obeyed because they respected and trusted him, But on occasions like that, he couldn't afford the luxury of wasting his time.

He swam as fast as he could where he knew Oikawa and Akaashi were designated to stay, the east border of the reef the shoal took shelter. The way there was filled with screams and mermaids swimming everywhere up and down, taking the wounded where they would be safe, untangling others from nets in utter despair. He could see faces he knew _screaming_ in pain with hooks locked on their tails. It was an image of death he was seeing, the ocean, where it felt so safe, was invaded by despicable creatures hurting his family, his _home_. He felt tears filling his eyes and struggled to stay focused. Kageyama needed him, Oikawa and Keiji needed him, he _needed_ to get to them before…

Suga inhaled sharply.

“AKAASHI COME BACK!” he heard before he saw.

The water was dark, the light was provided only by occasional flashes and minor explosions. Oikawa was bleeding, his arm had a nasty looking deep cut and he was holding a harpoon weakly. He couldn’t see Tobio anywhere.

A lump formed in his throat when he looked up and saw Akaashi, also a weapon in hand, swimming quickly in direction of a net, a frantic look on his face. If he could sweat Suga was sure he would be. One more second and he could see clearly, it was Tobio’s dark hair escaping from the holes on the net, Tobio’s face contorted in fear while frantically reaching out his hands.

A flash of light and Akaashi screamed with the sudden pain, his torso painting red on the water around him and now Suga was well aware of the taste of blood invading his mouth without his permission. His body moved before he could think. He grabbed the harpoon as he swam desperately for Kageyama.

“I’ll get you!”, Kageyama widened his eyes.

“No! No, Suga, go back! There’s more than we can deal with! Save them!”

But it was to no use.

As Suga reached out for him, one hand tangling on the net, trying to cut it with the other, he whispered the most calming words he could to the younger, even if he himself couldn’t even make out what he was actually saying.

_One last cut_, one last cut it was all that it would take and Kageyama would be _free_. One more...

The feeling of fresh air invading his lungs so suddenly hurt his chest, pressuring his rib cage down to a point where he was _gasping_ for air as his body tried to accommodate the sudden change, but he had _no time_ for feeling breathless.

“There’s one more trying to release the beast!”, Suga heard, he grasped what he could from the net as he felt it feeling pulled, slipping right through his fingers and he _wouldn’t_ let it happen that way. “Shoot him, take him out! We need this one!”

Suga looked up and made eye contact with the human before he cut the last straw holding Kageyama to the net. It was a _terrible_ man, not that Suga had seen many, but he could tell, and not only by his face but his entire aura, his dead-looking eyes staring at Suga with pure hatred. Another man, younger, pointed something at his face and Suga felt it change as he _hissed_, the scales on his skin becoming apparent and his hair clenching moistly on his face. The younger one got scared and let the gun fall before fumbling it back. The man cursed and Suga took that time to free Kageyama and dive in at once. It was all he could do before pain invaded his body.

White dots invaded his vision as Kageyama tried to drag him to a safest place and lights still followed them. His body was feeling exhausted, his eyes fluttering close, and _pain_, so much pain left him _gasping_ as his lungs filled with water, once again trying to comport the change of environment. He blacked out almost right after the ocean's darkness embraced him.

**-x-**

When Suga woke up he was confused. He was expecting clarity, to open his eyes and be greeted by his family members, long gone. He was expecting at least to see a judgment, where Nautir would decide if he was worthy of forgiveness or not. He wasn’t expecting _this_. He couldn’t see anything, he couldn't _hear_ anything, the water sat strangely by his body, almost heavy, and it was cold. _Uncomfortably_ cold. It wasn’t how water is supposed to feel.

Was it death? Was he dead? His neck would tell him _no, he wasn't_. It was hurting and you're not supposed to hurt when dead, right?

His arm felt numb like he had slept on it, and it honestly felt like he had slept for _years_. He could barely remember the last hours, but as the memories started to come back, he grew more and more worried. The attack, the fear, the _blood_. Oikawa, Akaashi, and Kageyama. 

_ Oh. _

Oikawa, Akaashi, and Kageyama! Where were they? Did they manage to escape? _Nautir, please let them be safe_, he prayed as he started to look around. A tiny source of light was far away from him, but he grabbed onto the hope as he tried to get up from where he laid, only to be pushed back by a sharp pain on his waist and neck.

He couldn't remember a time where he was ever so sore. Suga looked down, searching for the source of pain and found a hole - _yes, a hole_ \- by his abdomen. It wasn't bleeding, it was already starting to heal, for all he could tell, but it was still - _very_ visibly - a hole. He took his hand to his neck and hissed with the other ache feeling. The skin there was burning to the touch, but he could not feel any lacerations. Good.

Taking a deep breath, Suga tried once again, this time slowly, and even with his whole body complaining, he managed to stay upright. Searching for support on the walls of what he thought to be a cave, he dragged himself further and further to the light, stopping a few times to inhale carefully. The closer he got, the better he could sense things. He could hear the ocean passing through the strait mouth the cavern, he could now see the dark bluish tone it’s interior had.

But as he got to the end, engulfed by the new setting, the first thing he noticed where voices. He frantically scanned around, gasping hurriedly now.

“Ok, he wakes up, then _what_? Where do we even start?” the tone, even if ruskier, was definitely distinguishable. Tooru. “We don’t even know if they’re still alive? Is it even _safe_ to go back there? If they’re still there, we don’t even have the chance to escape. Three of us are hurt and one is still a teenager.”

“But we have to try Tooru-san, that’s the least we could do. If they’re still there, we could _help_.”, his head perked up as he recognized Akaashi’s voice. He could see them clearly now, way above his head, all _three_ of them. They didn’t look at their best, but they were still _alive_.

It seemed like they had most things under control while he was out, which was good – he knew he could trust Akaashi’s decisions to take care of them. Even if Suga was the oldest, and therefore the “merman in command” most times, Keiji was definitely the wisest when it came to critical decisions, he’d always maintain the calm and guide others through difficult times. Suga was so glad he was okay.

“I _hardly_ think so.”

“When Suga wake up, he’ll know what to do.”

He made his way up, with more difficult this time since he had no wall to support him.

“Well, Tooru has a point, but we need to go there anyway,” Suga said, his voice much weaker than he expected. “it’s the protocol.” interrupted by sudden coughs from forcing his throat so much he felt his chest hurt with the violent convulsions. Kageyama hurried towards him, holding his arm for support until it went away. Once it stopped, he thanked the younger one. Once he was at the same level as the others with Kageyama’s help, and his stomach grumbled loudly.

“How many days have I been asleep?”

The three of them seemed uncertain for a second. When it was clear none of them were willing to answer, Suga repeated the question once more, this time maybe a little exasperated.

“You see…” Kageyama started, his eyes drifting everywhere except Suga’s. “Oikawa-san only suffered a minor laceration on his arm-”

“It still hurt a lot, you know? But I kept strong, I knew I _had_ to be the one to take care of the group, as the _oldest_.” but as the other two looked at Oikawa unimpressed, he just mumbled about being underappreciated.

“- and Akaashi-san, even if he was hurt, it was only from scratch. He woke up the next day. He and Oikawa-san have been scanning the perimeter and bringing food since then…” Kageyama bit his lip, he was never good at interactions, “But you took the worst out of the three of you. Whatever they did to you, it entered and got out, and after that one of the lights that came from above almost hit you. It burned your skin _so badly_ Suga-san.” his voice was getting embargoed, lips trembling, “When we reached the cave you weren’t moving, you were _barely_ breathing and… _And-_” he then looked over him and Suga could see the boy on the break of crying, “I’m so sorry Suga-san! I’m so, _so sorry_, I thought you were dead, and it would be all my fault! You went there to save me because I wasn’t good enough to even save myself-”

Suga cut him with an embrace. Ignoring the pain on his sides, he patted Kageyama’s head calmly while the boy started sobbing. At first, Suga froze for a solid second. He’d _never_ seen Kageyama cry, not since he was five and thought he’d lost his first harpoon. Since a very young age, the boy closed himself to the other kids (even if not on purpose). He was always too serious, too hardworking, demanding too much from himself. It was no wonder when, even if he was the youngest of the class, he managed to handle spells and earn control like he’d been born with those abilities. But that caused a rift in his relationship with others, he never knew how to _express_ himself, Suga being one of the only ones who could actually understand his feelings. He couldn’t imagine all the stress the kid had to bear while he was asleep.

“It’s okay now, you didn’t do anything wrong.” the boy sobbed harder this time, his arms enveloping him as if he was afraid that Suga was going to leave, “You were so brave, you hear me? You did well. We’re all here, safe, alive, because of you.”

The boy denied with his head.

“Had I been faster-”

“We would still be here. There wasn’t anything else you could’ve done.” it surprised Suga to see Tooru being so helpful and considerate when it came to Tobio. “So stop whining, _idiot_, you gave the best of yourself, don’t make me repeat myself again.”

Kageyama stopped sobbing, looking at the other wide-eyed, only to see Oikawa sticking his tongue after repeating "idiot" once more. Suga would smile if the situation wasn’t so alarming. 

Oikawa had always some kind of rivalry with Tobio since they were younger, the boy being born with a natural talent for what Tooru practiced more than anyone. While Tooru was overall mature in serious situations, actually one of the _greatest_ additions to the shoal, he’d take _every single_ _opportunity_ to set Kageyama off. Suga was only a few seconds older than Oikawa but, sometimes, it felt like he was the _only_ responsible one for taking care of all of them – and maybe that was why he asked to be put with the children, once they got to choose. To see Tooru, always so _competitive_ Tooru, say comfort words to Kageyama set something warm in heart, and suddenly Suga was sure they could deal with whatever was to come

Akaashi took that moment to interrupt them.

“You were asleep for almost seven days.” he said quickly, before he’d lose courage, “We did try some healing spells and some seaweed compress, but they weren’t doing much, as you can guess, once we don’t know the wounds, or how to treat them.”

Suga let the words sink. 

A _week_.

The shoal was _definitely_ gone by now.

They were most certainly all alone, _adrift_. Not that it was their fault, they probably thought them dead. They probably had to deal with other deaths too.

“We’re going East then.”

Oikawa looked at him suspiciously.

“Didn’t you say we go back to the reef-”

“That was before I knew it’s been a _week_.” Suga breathed slowly, his stomach hurt every time he tried to speak, “There’s no one there, and the things we’re gonna find there- It’s _not worthy_.” he mentioned to Kageyama with his head and Akaashi understood immediately. He nodded.

“I see. In that case, how do we proceed?”

Kageyama had let go of him while still supporting his weight, as it was indeed hard to keep upright.

“It’s the middle of summer, water is full of fish, so they would avoid crowded seas and close to land places to not risk an encounter with fishermen and alert the hunters. My guess is east. The farther we go from land, the safer.”

Akaashi agreed with him.

“And when do we leave?”

Suga sighed.

“No time like the present.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like this chapter!  
You can find me on tumblr here: [Biltchibo](http://biltchibo.tumblr.com)


	2. Oversea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi's in a lot of trouble.  
Well, at least he meets a cute guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so between college and my obsession with It (that never really went away) and the fact i can't focus on writing (my attention span is 2 minutes long) i managed to finally end chapter 2!  
yaaaay  
i started chapter 3 already, hoping this time it won't take long.

**“I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. Nothing else.” **

**Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek**

  
  
  


Sawamura Daichi always knew deep down he would die in the ocean, he just didn't think he would be taking his crew with him. Right now, being forced to walk on the precarious board, Daichi isn’t sure if the should look at the remaining faces on the ship, or the sea deep below. It would hurt but it wouldn't be fatal, except the angry storm, not being able to move his hands and the violent waves were surely going to take care of that.

His crew, the ones who weren’t knocked out on the deck, were being held by a knife on their neck, incapable of moving and being threatened unless he jumped. 

A small price for their lives, yes, but he doubted they would be let to wander freely among land after he did it anyway.

“Come on _Sawamura_! Be a bloody captain and grow sum’ balls, willya’?!”

Daichi stared at the man whose voice shout so loud that managed to be heard through the thunders, the pleased smile on the red-haired guy only grew as he pressed the knife on one of the tallest of his crew, Tsukishima - who stood fearless even when a fillet of blood was drawn of the sharp weapon, looking right back at Daichi without any shadow of disappointment or regrets in his eyes. He nodded, and one by one, every single one of those familiar faces did the same, even if some did end up having tears on the corner of their eyes.

Daichi had served them well. It was all he could've asked for.

He glared at the captain of the other crew, Ushijima, standing still, his face stoic as he waited for him to take the final step and jump. Daichi didn’t quite understand why they got attacked in the first place, they weren’t even in Shiratorizawa’s claimed seas, they haven’t even _met_ them before. He had an unsettling feeling about it that told him there was more to this story, and he would find out.

But first, he had to make it through the fall.

Not taking his eyes out of him, Daichi said, in clear voice so everyone would hear him.

“_This ain’t over._”

And he let himself fall into the Ocean’s grip.

The shock of his body still running warm because of the adrenaline against the ice-cold saltwater was enough for him to gasp, which was bad because he definitely couldn’t breathe beneath the water. He swam up rather easily the first time if he could say that. He looked at the ship, that was already moving beyond his reach never to be seen again, and took a moment to not freak out. Be calm before turning to despair. That night, much like this one, and the sky above him so full of stars reminded him of his first sail. 

The first time Daichi ever sailed was also the moment he left forever the island he’s lived since birth in a stolen rowing boat. He had no experience, almost no money at all and three other friends with him, and they felt like they could conquer the world. They kind of did, little by little, winning the trust of more and more people who increased his crew, actually stealing a proper boat for them to sail and be pirates, owning their space.

It all started that one night, his 22nd birthday, where he convinced Asahi and Yachi to come with him in the craziest thing they’ve ever dreamt of. Kiyoko obviously went with them as soon as she knew Yachi was going with them. 

Daichi pulled on a sharp breath, his mind had started to wander out of the coldness, to drift away dormant, and to leave him more than vulnerable, the pain the impact caused on his body filled his vision with white dots as he tried to stay with his head above water without the help of his hands tied behind his back, which proved to be very ineffective.

He submerged once, trying to pull his hand back ahead passing down through his feet, but all he managed to do was to aimlessly wheel in the water, almost losing up and down sense and quickly going back to the surface to take another breath.

He needed to get out of that situation if he wanted to survive, if he wanted to meet his crew again.

This time he was forced to submerge as an unexpected wave hit behind him, he barely got any air before he had to fight his way back up, only to be caught in another one that sends him brutally down and spinning a good few meters away without any more air in his lungs. He debated himself, desperately trying to reach for the surface. It was so far away, he knew he wouldn’t manage it.

As he fought with his consciousness to stay awake, to stay lucid and thinking but he could feel his mind slipping away from his grasp.

In a last attempt, he managed to get his hand at his front, but he could tell it was far too late to try and swim, as he could barely see the light of the sky in the ocean’s dark surroundings.

He dreamt of his own life. Daichi guessed it couldn’t be different though, they always said you would remember your experiences at the moment you were going to die. It would pass by his eyes and then it would be done. He surely wouldn’t meet his mother in whatever heaven she prayed for. Firstly, he didn’t even pray for the same gods, and even if he did he sure wasn’t the righteous type the guy seemed to take as his chosen ones. 

He only prayed to one god and knew his soul would be taken with him to stay in the sea forever in the afterlife.

That was where he belonged.

But even when the dream ended, Daichi was still there, in the black. Maybe he didn’t accept his prayers, after all.

Before he could dwell on that fact, his body convulsed forward, he could feel his chest, lungs, and stomach hurt as he turned left to throw up all the saltwater contained inside his body.

His throat hurt as the coughs followed up, his vision finally starting to focus again even if his eyes fervently burned. His audition came back by stages, the sound of the sea resonating on the background as he felt the waves hit his heels and the caws of the birds above him. He was alive!

How? He had no idea, maybe a miracle.

As he contemplated the fact that yes, he was very much alive, Daichi felt his skin burn when it came in contact with something. He cursed and turned around to see what it was, only to find the most beautiful hazel-brown eyes men could find in sea or land.

The person of which they belonged though, was another level completely. Daichi knew he could be looking at them for hours and he would feel just as blessed as he felt now. The face of the man he was staring at had something Daichi’s never seen before in someone, and it puzzled him more and more by the time passing.

He looked a little scared, maybe apprehensive, but Daichi would be too, had he found someone laying on a beach brought by the sea, he could barely guess what he looked like right now.

“Uh- Hi”, he tried, his voice hoarse and hurting.

The men widened his eyes and started to retrocede, strangely, to sea. Daichi knew he needed help though, and he couldn’t let this one run away.

“No, wait!”, the mysterious man stopped, staring at him with confusion and curiosity. Well, at least now Daichi knew he could understand him, or kind of, “I’m- My name is Sawamura Daichi.”

Daichi reached his hand for him, which apparently was the wrong choice as it made him more scared than before, dragging himself further away, ready to flee. Daichi frowned and finally looked down.

He let out a scream - though Daichi would never admit it later - and trailed back hurriedly, putting more distance between them.

He had a tail! The guy. Had. A tail!

Daichi thought he was still dreaming. He’s heard of mermaids, yes, but he never thought it would be true, much less that he would be encountering one. How was this even happening?! He was at the bottom of the sea just moments ago!

Daichi took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and he looked at the men- mermaid? Was there even a term for the male? - that hasn’t yet fled away. He was looking right back at Daichi, with a frown on his expression and arms supporting him up in the sand.

Daichi still was on a deserted island, he guessed, and still had no way to get out. All in all, a mermaid would be of great help.

“I’m sorry if I scared you -”, he said carefully and slowly, “- my name is Daichi. Do you have a name?” when he got no answer, the men now looking at him confused, Daichi pursed his lips, it frustrated him, he didn’t know where he was neither how to get out of there if he could get the creature’s help then... “Do you understand what I’m saying?” met with no response, he could feel himself getting more and more exasperated, he sighed, this time not hoping for any answer at all “Do you even speak my language?”  
“Of course I do, what do you think we are? Savages?”, the melodic voice that got out of his mouth didn’t match the offended tone it carried.

“Oh-”, was all he managed to say before his brain restarted and properly formed sentences, “Oh I am- I’m sorry- I didn’t mean-”, or so it was supposed to, “My name is Daichi-”

“You already said that.” the man now had a small smile forming on his lips “Three times.”

Daichi opened and closed his mouth a few times, probably looking more like a fish than the guy with a tail. Which was wiggling, kind of, was that considered wiggling? He looked at the men’s - was it right to still call him men? Wasn’t that supposed to be for humans? - face again, who arched an eyebrow.

“Your name, then?”

He bit his lip and turned his eyes at something he couldn’t see at the sea, seeming suddenly unsure, all the easiness of the smile now gone.

“I usually don’t say my name to strangers.”

Well, and Daichi wasn’t known to have the most friendly face of all. Making friends was usually up to Hinata, his youngest crew member, who made friends with the same facility he caused troubled. 

But the mermaid - the term seemed so unusual to be using he still didn’t believe the situation was real - gazed back at him with a glint in his eyes that just made him look like the bravest among it all.

“But I did save your life, didn’t I?”

Daichi was taken aback.

“You did?”

The mermaid snorted.

“Well, you didn’t think you just magically transported yourself to an island after drowning, did you?”, except he did, yes, and now he felt stupid for even thinking it was a possibility, “I saw you and took you here, and- “, he cleared his throat, “- the important thing is that you’re safe. So, you’re welcome. I’m… You can call me Suga.”  
Suga.

Finally, a name to put with a face.

“Suga?”, he didn’t mean to sound so judgmental, he swears.

“You have a problem?”, Suga was definitely offended this time, and Daichi was quick to repair his mistake.

“No! It’s just, it’s so short, I guess things just work differently.” his laugh sounded humorlessly even to himself.

Suga stayed in silence for a while, staring at him, until his head snapped to look at the same spot in the water before and he started moving slowly back to the water.

“... I really should be going now. I wish you the best of luck.”

Daichi scrambled towards him.

“No, no, wait!”, he stopped once again, dead on his tracks, “Please, I really need your help.”  
Suga frowned again.

“What? I already saved you. And you didn’t even thank me.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong, Daichi mentally slapped himself. He was a pirate, manners weren’t his priorities. Survival? Yeah, that was on his top four.

Hinata may be the friendly one, but Daichi had pretty much experience in convincing people to join his cause, modesty apart.

“I apologize for my rudeness. Thank you for saving me, I’ll forever be in debt.”, Suga seemed more willing to listen now, “I do need your help, though, I must insist. I don’t know where I am, neither how can I get out on civilization. Just help me get there, and I’ll bother you no more.”

He had reached to Suga, he knew the look in his eyes. So he did open his mouth to answer Daichi wasn’t expecting what came out instead.

“I’m sorry, it really isn’t our problem. We’re in trouble too.” Suga’s tail wobbled restlessly, “I’m really sorry, I can’t help you.”

Before he could actually feel the disappointment sink in, something clicked on Daichi’s head.

“‘We’?”

Suga made a choked sound, taking the back of his hand in front of his mouth, hence dirtying his beautiful face with sand. He had a beauty-mark, Daichi noticed, right below his eye, that now had a white dot on it. It was utterly cute.

Focus Daichi, focus. This may be the only chance to get help, if the merman left him there, god knows when (or if!) a boat would come across, his chance of survival rapidly decaying the less inclined to cooperate Suga seemed.

So he had a family, probably, and they were close by. He was most likely the oldest, or the responsible one, he assumed - Daichi was sure he wouldn’t send Hinata to help a stranger they didn’t trust, no one in charge and sane mind would. He also wouldn’t trust someone he just met and put his family in danger, unless they had something in common, something they could bond on.

They were the same, and Daichi just needed to link.

“I have people I care too.” for once in his life, Daichi was choosing his words carefully, “I’m a captain, do you know what this is?”, the expression Suga made told him otherwise, “It means I’m the leader of my ship. It means I take care of my crew and make sure everyone is safe and ready to work. It also means I make the calls, I’m responsible for their well being and if something goes wrong, it’s entirely my fault.” Daichi was never a fan of being open and letting people inside his head, and he really wouldn’t trust Suga just because he was a mermaid but “When you found me, I was separated from them, and now they’re in danger.” Daichi approached the other, trying not to scare him. He was on his knees, the water hitting on his thighs now and he put his hand besides Suga’s in the sand, a serious look on his face “Please, I need your help to save them.”

The mermaid stared at the sea again then at his face with an indecipherable look, then at Daichi's hand with a pained expression, and like every word was heavy he looked up at him, meeting his eyes, and said:

“I’ll help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on tumblr here: [Biltchibo](http://biltchibo.tumblr.com)  
I'm not always there, but if you want, hit me up some prompt and I might be able to pull a drabble (or maybe headcanons?), or I can at least try.


	3. Overload

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Daichi has no sense of self-preservation and no one really likes him.

**“Water, water, everywhere,**

**Nor any drop to drink.” **

**Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Marine.**

Myths are stories told from generation to generation, father to son and so beyond. Like every story, it is subjected to people's memories, conditions, and interests, of course. If a mother wants to keep her disobedient child out of the woods, she would tell them about a wolf, hideous and hungry, hiding in the lower leaves of bushes, ready to devour them at the second they entered the woods. Sailors would spread the myths of guardians looking out for them as they headed to an unforgiving storm in the sea. Elders would chant songs about gods as old as the earth walking around the lands to this day. And as far as Daichi knew, myths were all they were.

Which is why, one would note, that he is so confused - to say at least - about the current situation he’s found. After coming back to the surface, following Suga stood a man with dark hair and serious features, not much younger than him but with somewhat deep bags under his eyes and hair splattered around his face. The man took a sharp intake and the action seemed painful, he stayed a little further away in the sea than Suga was, wearing a distrusting expression. Daichi smiled, trying to look friendly but not sure if it would actually work, Hinata always said he looked scary when he did it. He seemed unfazed by it, for better or worse. 

"This is Akaashi. Akaashi, this is Sawamura Daichi." 

“Nice to meet you,” Daichi was careful not to approach the water any more than calf-deep. 

Akaashi nodded, "I can't say the same about you, but I'll do my best."

Okay, maybe he was more like Tsukishima then, maybe it took him a while to warm up. Not that it really mattered in the end, Daichi wasn’t trying to make them like him and enter his crew, he only wanted their trust enough so he could survive.

A third head slipped just above the sea, black hair almost long enough to cover his eyes. As far as Daichi could see in the translucent water, he was younger than Akaashi and his skin was a bit darker than the pearl white of Suga’s. 

“This is Kageyama,” Suga said, but the boy kept half his face underwater, “Come on, greet him,” he made a strange noise, and Daichi wasn’t sure it was supposed to mean anything until Suga puffed, “I don’t care what Oikawa said, don't be rude."

Kageyama frowned his eyebrows, fully standing up now, “But the human is not to be trusted!”

Kageyama looked at Daichi with heat in the eyes, and to be honest, he was kind of taken aback. The kid was kinda scary. But Suga kept his gaze steady, waiting patiently for the boy to look at him again. 

"I'm not asking you to trust him, I'm asking you to trust me. Would I ever put any of you in danger?" when Kageyama refused, a reluctant expression on his face, Suga bit his lip, not less sure of his decision, but on the fact that he really didn’t enjoy forcing people on what they didn’t want, “But, if you don’t want to do this, I won’t oblige. You can stay with Oikawa until it’s done.”

_ How many of them are down there? _

The conversation carried on without Daichi paying further attention. It was probably rude but he didn’t care by this point. While Suga had been down there for an awfully long amount of time, caring for something that was not his business, Daichi took the opportunity to explore the island, and though it was kind of hard to do so with the burning on his skin and grumbling of his stomach, he’s had worse times than this. The little piece of dirt in the ocean itself wasn’t too much, barely any fruitful tree and even fewer chances to find anything drinkable to cease the thirst that scrapped his throat, dry and salty such as the water of the sea. It would be fine as long as he found something resembling water. Or rum, who knows what he’d do for a bottle of rum right now.

He’d found it unexpectedly ironic to be surrounded by all this water and still be able to dry out to death.

“I propose an exchange.”

Daichi looked back at the conversation, his tired and burning eyes focusing on the figures, only now noticing a fourth figure on the sea, much closer to him than any of the others, in fact, face to face as he hadn’t even realized he was so deep soft waves were now hitting his chest.

The person in front of him had the composure of a natural leader, his eyes and hair, closer than what Daichi would’ve been comfortable, were not remarkable at all, but they had this weird, uncomfortable entrancing way that made him feel dizzy in his head. His throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed dry.

“An exchange?”

The man squinted his eyes, “Perhaps,” he put a hand on Daichi’s shoulder, holding it firmly as sharp nails pressed the fabric, “If we help you, what would we gain from that? You don’t expect us to help someone like you out of the goodness of our hearts, do you?” 

He kind of did.

“Someone like _me_?” Daichi found the will to ask somewhere in his being besides all of his alarms telling him not to.

“A pirate.”

He really should’ve stopped talking unless to comply, it wasn’t too difficult and it would lead to a scenario where they’d both get what they needed. But Daichi was never the clever one, “You know about pirates?”

The man now held his upper lip in a snarl, annoyed at the questions, “I know about your kind all right,” the hand tightened and his eyes glittered, and Daichi felt his heart squeeze one painful time as he felt a pressure growing inside, “Do we have ourselves a deal?”

“Yes-” he squeezed out the best he could.

He pulled his hand back and Daichi felt released all at once, his insides stopped squirming and his head was back at the place it was supposed to.

"We'll take him to the Ring of Moregan," he glanced at Suga as if asking permission before continuing, "And you shall bring it to our possession."

Daichi looked back between Suga and him, “I don’t oppose to what Oikawa is suggesting.”

Defeated, Daichi inhaled deeply before jaw setting firmly and eyes snapping back at ‘Oikawa’, "Anythin’ ya ask from me, good sire."

Daichi could speak as properly as he wanted — he did finish his school years, after all — but after so many years in the sea, facing adversity and accompanied by the strangest and boldest people around these waters, it was hard not to switch back once he was challenged.

Oikawa’s eyes sharpened and he squinted them once again, “Let’s see how long you can maintain the sarcasm, ay?” Oikawa moved back, “Suga, a word,” before diving into the translucid water and deeper.

Daichi was left with two sets of eyes boring holes into his back as he walked to shore.

**______________**

It was a mixture of hot and cold when they left. Sure, the water was freezing but the sun burned so brightly every time he went back to the surface to breathe he could feel his face tingling and starting to peel. It didn’t hurt, which was good because it meant he wasn’t severely burnt and thanks to the salt, it had already started to heal.

The travel itself had become quite repetitive, if not uncomfortable - Daichi would close his eyes and hold his mouth and nose, and for the next forty seconds, he would feel the pressure of the sea traveling fast trough his body being dragged by the torso, repelling him as if it knew he wasn’t supposed to go this fast, not without at least a boat anyway. Instead of the gentle caress of the breeze and sprinkle of saltwater in the face, the sea pushed back, it said ‘you don’t belong here’ and tried an opening wherever it could in his body.

He didn’t recognize any of the waters they traveled by, and it didn’t help he didn’t see the direction they were headed. Eventually, his ears started to hurt and he pulled the arm holding his waist. Soon, a very confused pale face met him upwards.

“What is the matter?”

“It’s better if we stop for a few more minutes, my ears hurt and I don’t think I’ll be able to endure for much longer.”

Suga nodded and went down, and Daichi had started worrying he’d be left alone when he came back.

“We’ll stay here for a little longer, but we’re almost there, just a few more times,” Suga handed him a bottle, inside two little dry sponges, “It’ll help with the pain.”

Daichi thanked him and Suga watched amused as he opened the flask to realize that those were very human sponges, not the natural ones - you know, the ones _ alive _.

“How did you-”

“We find many things on ship-wrecks,” he placed them on his ears, and surprisingly, it started to feel better, “Tho I may have whispered something to help you. Just don’t leave it for too long, it’ll suck all the water of your body and you’ll die as dry as seastar outside on a hot day.”

_ Thanks for the picture. _

“Thank you,” Daichi tried to distract himself from the overwhelming feeling of seeing an immensity of blue anywhere he looked at, “What did they say?”

Suga seemed amused all of sudden, “Oikawa said if you can’t handle the sea you shouldn’t be allowed to navigate in it,” eyeing Daichi he continued, “Can’t say I disagree.”

And instead of being rather insulted, like he knew he would be if Oikawa told him this condescendingly, Daichi smiled, “Well, you know us, humans, never settling for commodity…”

Suga pursed his lips, “Not really.”

Daichi wondered what that meant as they stood in awkward silence for the next moments and once he felt his ears normal again, he took the sponges out.

“How do you speak down there?” Daichi prompted after a while, it was so sudden Suga did seem kind of shocked, “I mean, I’m just curious, you can not answer if you don’t want to.”

“Our bodies modify when we’re underwater,” Suga touched his own neck, and right where he touched, Daichi noticed for the first time three barely visible thin long lines, “We don’t talk like you and I are doing now. We send sounds in a different frequency and I’m not sure if you can listen, much less learn to understand it,” Daichi nodded carefully. Suga clasped his hands together, “So, do you feel ready? Can we continue?”

The rest of the travel went without any more significant event and it didn’t take long until Daichi found himself facing the open mouth of a cave, with barely any space to walk, much less to swim, the water stopped at some point where the path was dry but the ceiling was so short he’d have to bend down more and more until he crouched to enter the small passage.

“There it is. This is the place,” said Suga, “It should be easy for you, once you enter, there’s only a small climb before you reach the central chamber. There’s the ring.”

“But why has no one taken it yet?”

Oikawa glared at him, “Do you see any legs down here?”

Suga reached for Oikawa’s arm as if in a warning, “What he meant is, we can’t take it, and this is no common island, so it is highly unlikely for any human to have gotten here.”

That just made the situation shadier than already was, even though it was maybe a little too late to be questioning these when he was already at the devil’s lair - quite literally, judging by the way the cave hung darkly above, “And why is it so important you’ll willingly help me if I’m successful?”

“None of your-”

“It’s magical,” interrupted Suga, “and it will be of great help if you manage to get it for us.”

Akaashi, who was quiet till the moment, spoke up, “Legend says it provides guidance and clairvoyance. There’s an entire story on it, but you’re not worthy of it,” he looked at Suga, who closed his eyes at his bluntness, “No offense.”

Daichi wasn’t sure if that was true, “None taken,” he walked at the cave, feeling his legs trembling at the sensation of the firm ground below his feet, “So do I just go in there and grab the ring? No traps?” and while Suga gave him a close-mouthed smile, Oikawa shooed him with his hands.

“The longer you take the slower you are, come on you biped anemone. Pretend I have an extra arm or something, and off you go.”

And Daichi went, mildly confused, but still.

Getting through the small passage was the easy part, it seemed, only scraping his knees on the sand, but as he got up, and stared at the dark abyss in front of him and the narrow passage above, he whispered a soft curse under his breath. He was in no state for it, his limbs were heavy and he felt tired and sore and pained, but he knew he had to perceive, if not for his survival, but for the small chance his crew was still alive and needing him. He needed to surpass it for them.

A little further, a little stronger, a little more.

He started climbing, careful and slow, the rocks were hard to grip and the fact he was starting to sweat wasn’t helping, but the air was fresh, and even if the ocean was just outside, it didn’t resemble any salt in his mouth. For a solid moment, he thought he could do it. But the darkness merged with the fogginess of his vision and Daichi felt it before he saw it, his grip lacking strength as the rock escaped through his fingers.

“Bugger.”

He fell.


	4. On the inside of the cave.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi is getting tired of new people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
I'm sorry it took this long, December was... something else.  
But here I am, so worry not!

**"Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently."**

**Maya Angelou**

  
  


It wasn't news at all for Daichi to wake up with a throbbing headache. Most vacant nights, where his crew would get out on ports and enjoy their part of the pillaging, Daichi would wake up inside his own room with only his pants and a ripped up shirt and no memory of the previous night whatsoever. He wondered if that's for better or worse. At least he always woke up alone, if not with a pile of his pirate treasures by the side of his bed. 

He would also develop a full headache on the spot whenever Hinata was left on the watch. Every time, without fail, they would wake up to something strange that just "happened overnight.'' As in "The night of 1000 fish" when somehow, hundreds of fishes managed to get on board and they spent the rest of the day scrubbing the deck. Or when Hinata had slept during a vigil and woke up getting carried away by a carnivorous bird almost as big as him. Or when _ they _had woken in a completely different place because Hinata forgot to put the anchor down. Daichi could go on and on but the remaining fact was, he was used to it. 

What he wasn't used, was to wake up unable to move, laid down on a cold surface. He tried pulling on his wrists, only to feel them scrapping in some kind of rope, same thing with his neck almost at the point of choking. 

He looked around, it was definitely the insides of the cave he was previously in, the color and scent still fresh in his mind, except everything was in a much darker shade, he could taste the humidity in the air. 

“Look who decide’ to wook’ up. He’esa sleepyhead, isn’t he,” the silk voice leaked to his ears such as a serpent would, a whisper in the dark, "And he came to our domain bare and unarmed," a rattle close to his left ear and Daichi pulled on his wrists once more, they remained unaffected, "Either he own great bre'avery, or an even beggar stupidity."

A woman came to vision, very close to his face, her eyes were red and fierce and her lips were dry in a smile, the hair a tangled mess of blonde braids. Her clothes were ragged as far as he could see, the dress she owned overlapped by an elaborated crochet cape. She was most likely young, but the tired look on her face made it seem like she was ages older than Daichi. 

"Which one, pretty boy? Tell me what did ya came here for." 

The pendants hanging on her neck were barely visible, except for the soft glow they poured through the holes of the cape, but one of them caught his attention. A greenish-blue glow seemed to stand out from the others, it was strangely enticing. She noticed his staring, and pulled the cape over, covering it more so none could be seen. 

"I need something," he said, and continued when she squinted, "The Ring of Moregan."

The woman snapped back, snarl in lips, "Stupid, I see," she went around the surface he was trapped in and after a few noises, pushed it to a standing position. 

He felt dazed from the sudden change for a few seconds before he could get a proper look at the room. The first thing that met his eyes was a big cauldron, made from what it looked to be brass, mat and a bit green at the edges, but with some kind of soup in prepare, a brown bubbling liquid inside it. 

He looked for an outing but as far as he could see, there were only stone, cavernous walls, decorated with shelves and doorless cabinets that, in turn, held flasks, herbs, and tons of wools with different colors and sizes. She was alone tho, which probably gave Daichi an advantage if he could get himself free. 

"Don't even think about tryin' to escape, _dumb boy_! These chains were forged by me own hands and respond to only me commands," as if on cue, he felt the wrappings tightening around his neck, cutting his airflow briefly before releasing, "Now, won't you give me yer name? And why do ya want me ring."

Daichi looked at the woman's eyes, full of malice and darkness, and wondered why he felt so compelled to give it to her. Instead, he set his jaw and answered, "I'm a pirate."

She tilted her head, hands holding her waist as she sneaked closer, "That is not what I asked." 

Daichi wasn't stupid. He may not have been familiar with mermaids, but he had heard stories from reliable people about witches, people he knew weren't mad. The stories warned to never tell them your name, otherwise, you'd be forever under their control. They would cast a spell and you'd be their servant for eternity. 

"My name isn't important. I came here to take the ring, do you know where it is?" 

She snorted, "Why are ya here, who told ya about this place?" Daichi felt his breath cut once again, this time for a little longer, and inhaled sharply once it was released, "And ya better tell the truth, am not known for me patience." 

He thought carefully about his words, or as careful as he could, knowing the witch grew impatient by the seconds, "I'm on a mission to save my friends. And I need the ring in exchange for a favor," he decided being honest was the easiest way, he had no idea if she could tell he was lying, and if she caught him, it wouldn't end well. 

She retreated, seeming surprised, "So ya don't know who I am?” 

Should he, was the question, was there something they didn’t tell him? Did they really send him into a trap to die? Probably, he figured, that’s what you get from trusting people you just met Daichi. He settled his head back, feeling suddenly drained.

“No?”

The smile she gave him was wicked and cruel, it was as cold as the winter’s night Daichi used to have on the orphanage and it sent chills through his spine, “Whoever sent ya must have a terrible sense of humor,” she moved away, sitting in the chair in front of him, “I have many names, but as for now, ya may call me Misaki,” crossing her legs, she asked, “Do ya know what Imma do now?”

He doubted the answer was set him free. 

“I'll finish that potion, and I’ll see whoever ya really are inside, and if I don’t like what I see, I’ll roast yer flesh and feast on yer,” she licked her lips and, unlike the seductive tone it usually held when anyone did it, it made Daichi’s stomach drop.

He watched as she sat there for a few minutes, carefully picking ingredients he didn't know and, on the table beside her, Daichi saw something he didn't before. 

A large brown paper, worn out and stained at the corners, written 'Places to go:' with clean calligraphy. And though it looked old, it was well kept, carefully protected by a plastic layer. It felt out of place, for someone like that to cherish something so trivial, unless it represented something they couldn't have. 

Daichi couldn't contain the words that slipped out of his mouth. 

"Why are you here?" 

Misaki stopped her movements, in the middle of putting some strange looking red leaves on the cauldron, and looked back at him, "What do ya mean?" 

"You're a witch, and don't deny it, I know. From all I heard, witches live in contact with nature, but not in such nasty caves like this. Why are you here, from all the places." 

Misaki closes her hand, crushing the leaves and throwing them on the liquid, now acquiring a red coloration, "There's a legend among merpeople, did ya know?" she didn't wait for his answer and started to stir the cauldron, "Long ago, there was this witch, and tho she was born human, she never fitted with those on land, so she parted to live in the sea, and found love among creatures she'd come to understand. The witch merged 'erself and 'er powers with the ocean, and she became so powerful sailors became afraid of exploring the seas that were once in their grasp. They started to hunt'er down, trying to kill 'er in every che'nce they got. But she didn't care. No, she was happy and had 'er family," Misaki lifted a spoon of a silver dust, and when she poured it on the cauldron, smoke started to fill the place. 

It was pink, then purple, then blue, and it kept changing even after it wrapped around his knees and further, it was thick and had a strong smell of burning wood. Daichi tried his best not to inhale it. 

"But 'er family feared for what the humans were destroyen during their hunt, and so they lock' er up in a godforsaken place and threw a spell so she would never leave and no one would know how to find 'er unless they knew the way, and told the humans she was dead," her voice increased until she was red in the face right before Daichi, and she sounded very, very angry, "The betrayal felt like a spare on 'er heart, so she forbid 'em from seeing 'er as well. And for centuries they'd bring humans as tribute to 'er fury so someday, when she was released, her wrath wouldn't turn against 'em," Daichi swallowed dry and choked, inhaling a good amount of smoke in the process and suddenly remembering how thirsty he was. 

The smoke he coughed turned bright yellow and disappeared, and the rest of it followed soon. Misaki watched him with a sadness in her eyes Daichi hadn't seen before, she backed down again, "But I'm no monster like the ones who hunted me. I may not be able to leave, but I'd never do that to a good soul."

The chains in his wrist opened with a jolt and he was sent forward with the weight of his own body. And then he was sat in a chair and Misaki had a big spoon in front of him, with a milky white liquid on it.

She gestured the spoon to him, "Drink it." 

Daichi looked wearily at her, "Is this poison?“

Misaki arched an eyebrow, "If it was would I be stupid enough to say it?" she shoved it in his face and said once more, much more aggressively, "Drink it!" 

So Daichi opened his mouth and took a sip. He felt better as soon as the liquid slipped past his throat, warming his insides and making his whole body brand new. He took a longer sip, finishing the spoon, feeling content.

Misaki pulled back, "This is a tonic, it'll help ya so ya'll have strength to leave, but ya should try eating soon," she sat in another chair by the other side of the table, grabbing a needle and a ball of wool, "Tell me yer story, stupid boy." 

Daichi was reluctant at first, but as soon as he started, he found that he wouldn't be able to stop even if he wanted. He then told her about Suga and how they sent him there, which he now realized that it was probably to die, and she nodded in acknowledgment. 

"They were testing yer worth,” she dismissed the point, “their people have taken a liking on this,” Misaki took something among the necklaces she had and showed it to Daichi, “This is what they asked ya to take, right?” the soft glow he’d seen before belonged to a pearl on top of a delicate gold forged ring, “Well, that I can’t give, but I’ll let you leave with something if you go now.”

In his hands, she put a string. It was a completely plain-looking braided red and blue string and she handed it to him with such conviction as if it would solve all the problems in the world. Which was really hard to believe.

“And this will help?”

She squinted her eyes.

“Do ya not want it?”

He held it tighter as she reached to take it back and Misaki smiled at the reaction.

“It’ll help.”

Daichi bowed sharply in front of her, feeling stronger and bolder, “Thank you very much!”

She nodded one final time, not looking at him and he took that as permission. Daichi turned to leave when Misaki called him.

“I’ll give ya word of warning tho, shall ya have it,” she turned her head to him, hands back into doing the pattern, “Memories are a slippery thing, they can drift away from us with the same easiness as they came.”

Daichi stood there for a second, waiting for more as she went silent.

“Is that it?” he asked, not intending to sound so disbelieving but still.

Misaki arched an eyebrow at him as if daring him to say any more. He kept his mouth shut

“Beware.”

With an unsettling feeling weighing his chest, Daichi left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on tumblr here: [Biltchibo](http://biltchibo.tumblr.com)  



	5. Lies, lies, lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga feels bad, Daichi is mad, conflict ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in the same month? You must be kidding.  
Also, this chapter wouldn't be possible, I MEAN IT, without the help of **thehunterandtheangel**. Without this fabulous person, this chapter would have been stuck for almost a month.

**"Be grateful for good friends, hot sun, and clear water." **

**Unknown**

Sugawara Koichi _totally_ knew how to lie. He just wasn't too keen on doing so. 

The first time he ever told a lie was to save Tooru from being decked by the other guards. Young and imprudent, he'd left his post to show off to his admirers. It wasn't long before they went looking for him and ended up in Suga's work's place. 

One of the council members asked him, "Do you know where Oikawa went?"

And smooth as a shark's skin ― not at all, Suga answered: "I wouldn't not know if he weren't at the place he's supposed to be." 

He confused his way out, but felt terrible for weeks after. 

And though no one lied as well as said Oikawa, he could still manage something. Which was why they waited at the same spot for someone who could be not returning. 

As they waited outside the cave for the human to maybe come back, Suga inevitably started to feel bad about what they did to him. The ring could help them find the shoal, but mostly, they only needed to know if Daichi could be trusted. Deliberately delivering him to the devil's mouth to face inherent doom didn't seem like the most trustworthy thing to do, but it was a better option than to be led into a trap by the goodness in their eyes. 

So they waited, and waited, and waited, his skin barely keeping its humidity the longer he was under the sun even with recurring dives, and there was still no sign of Daichi.

"I told you he was not to be trusted," Oikawa said, appearing just beside him, "I saw in his eyes, the bastard."

Unlike him, Oikawa, Kageyama and Akaashi had waited under the surface, doing whoever knows what. 

Suga didn't want to give him reason, but it was getting harder by the passing minutes, "The time's still not done." 

Oikawa rolled his eyes, "I don't know why you're so set on this human, we should leave already." 

Suga looked back at him, "We made a promise."

"It wasn't a promise, it was a deal. And it's taking up too long." 

"What are we if we don't follow on our word?" 

“Alive!"

Suga recoiled then and Oikawa sighed, seeming to regret his words. It wasn't fair ― but again, nothing in the situation was ― and Suga knew to what promise he was referring to. 

It was a long time ago when Suga had vowed to care for them and keep them until they reached maturity, swearing to the council to take the three hopeless strays under his tail. It was partially because of his oath that he'd sacrifice anything to keep them safe, even his own life. 

Oikawa has been against it since the beginning, saying that he wasn't a baby to be taken care of, but Suga knew it was because he feared that Suga would actually take upon his words.

Fear proven to be rightly based. 

Oikawa closed his eyes, pressing the bridge of his nose, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean this," he got closer to Suga, putting his hand on his shoulder. It was cold, "I'm scared, we all are, it doesn't mean I can take it out on you." 

Suga accepted the apology with a smile, the sadness in his features not aimed at his brothers at all. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but the hunter's.

They sat on the rocky entrance until it was too dry for them to be comfortable. A few more minutes, he told himself, just a little more time, but it was impossible to maintain it once the sun was almost completely down. 

"Koushi," Oikawa called. 

"I know."

Suga sighed.

Sending the cave one last look, he turned around, "Let's go."

He submerged and was met with two pairs of eyes, Keiji and Tobio.

“Did he-”

“I cannot believe this human,” Oikawa complained loudly. He arrived right after Suga, and sent him an outraged look, “He’s too stupidly _stubborn_ to die.”

Suga’s heart was beating fast in his chest as he emerged from the sea right in front of a very not happy face.

“Were you planning on leaving me behind despite our agreement?”

And well, Suga didn’t have a satisfying answer to that question. 

The pirate's face became even darker as no one tried to make it less obvious that it was exactly what they were doing. Suga tried to be a little more empathetic towards Daichi but he wouldn't lie again and say they wouldn't just leave. They had an agreement, yes, but the man was by no means more important than the other 3 mermans.

With a twitch the man walked towards them and Suga decided he needed to talk and not just stare at the human ― like Oikawa was doing at that very moment ― but Tobio, who looked at the man with a little spark in his eyes, beat him to it.

“Did you get the ring?”

It was like watching a new person take place in the man with such warm features since Suga saw him for the first time. Daichi looked remarkably like one of the figures found near the shore, older folks would tell it was once inside a ship who lost everything in a storm so strong that even mermaids were hidden. His jaw in a tense line, dark expressionless eyes, shoulders set in a straight position, it was as beautiful as it was different. And it would look more intimidating had Suga not seen the terrors he did. 

“Aye, I do have your ring, but I'll only give it to you after we're outta here.”

“How do we know you're telling the _truth_,” Oikawa, that really had a talent for making a bad situation worse, asked and even in the distance, Suga could see the human's intense look.

“It’s a fine work, and it shines a warm blue glow, sometimes green like the sea, almost hypnotic, braided with gold in a bread pattern or something, I don’t know. If you can’t tell I’m not really a jewelry person myself.”

Oikawa didn’t look pleased, “Where then?”

x-x-x-x-x-x

The sun was already long gone when Daichi, reeling and nauseated from traveling a couple of days non-stop, walked the streets of Nerima; only the drunkards and their lovely concubines to welcome him at that time. He knew exactly where he was going.

Far behind, in the port, Daichi left the mermans with the promise of coming back with the ring. 

Ring that he _didn't_ have. 

Perhaps if he found a boat and never laid a foot on the sea again, he'd be able to survive when they found out the truth. 

It was their own damn fault, though. 'Course Daichi didn't actually trust them from the beginning, he wasn't naive, but it still caught him by surprise that they'd act so innocent only to try and leave him to die. Twice. On the same bloody day. 

But now he was in Nerima, and maybe things could start to work in his favor and he'd never need to see them again.

Which was almost a pity, for Suga certainly was a sight worthy of being his last. 

The cabaret he entered wasn't a usual one. As he walked between the busy tables towards the stairs he recognized and was greeted by several familiar faces, be by the woman preparing the drinks behind the boot or by the men before it. 

A strong hand pulled him by the neck and given the state Daichi found himself, he was taken quite easily into an embrace that almost cracked his ribs and left him out of breath. 

"Ah, Daichi-san! What a nice surprise to see such a pleasant face, even in that state of yers. Say, yer boys with ya?" 

The person who still had him locked into the embrace was much taller than him, and Daichi would recognize that grey hair anywhere. 

He smiled, "Lev! For goodness are ya taller than before?! I swear, last time I didn't get a sore neck from looking up at ya," Daichi obviously avoided the question, "Are they around today?" 

And Lev knew Daichi was there to talk business from the way he opened a sharp grin and released him, "Yer in luck, the cargo was late so they're still up 'ere," Lev took a swig from the mug the had in hands, "Come, drink a little, ye look like ya been through hell and back."

Daichi patted his shoulder now that the man was sat once again, "You'd never guess," he grimaced, "And tho' is temptin' I'll pass. I need to talk to them the sooner I can," sending the mug filled with rum a last, longing look, he added, "But maybe when I come back." 

Lev raised the rum for him, "I'm holding ye to it!" 

The cries the staircase's steps made were muffled by the loud noise from all the drinking in the bar below. He knocked on the door once, twice before he got an answer telling him to enter. 

"If it's about the supplies for the port, we already said the next ship is full, close the door on your way out." 

The bored, monotone voice of the blonde on the cushions made Daichi so relieved he nearly dropped on the ground from exhaustion.

“Can you give me a ride then?”

“Godsdamn, you son of a- I thought you died!" Kuroo was quickly past the table, squeezing him just as strongly as Lev, and behind him, Daichi could see Kenma's interested eyes on him. 

"Word is that Shiratorizawa's offed you a few days ago and left with your gold and your crew," Kenma looked back at the book he was reading, "Kuroo was still mourning you."

"Oe-"

"Though I see you didn't," Daichi observed. 

The blonde shrugged, "I was starting to get worried, but you proved me right," he pointed at the desk, full of gold coins shining in the dim light of the room, "Half of that is mine, since I told him you were still alive," Kenma closed the book and fixed his clever eyes in Daichi, "I suppose you're here to ask for a favor?" 

Kenma was schooled. Much like Kuroo, he was academically smart and had many opportunities Daichi couldn't even dream of, but what he admired the most, was the blonde's capacity on strategy and war games. Right now, the numbers weren't in Daichi's side, and no matter how much Kuroo would have liked to help, if he didn't convince Kenma, he'd have to try and find another way. 

Kenma was the whole brain behind their illegal and legal operations, he thought about the cover for the pirates business ― the cabaret ― and the best merchant routes to use so they would always be ahead on delivering. It was his idea to make deals with the natives for better access. He was one of the main keys for their, and Daichi's, success. 

"I need your help to recover my crew," he went straight to the point, there was no reason to belate the conversation.

"And based on what do you think we'll help?" Kenma's shoulders dropped as tiredness washed over his face, "Do you have any idea what cost your disappearance cost us? The Coast wouldn't accept any deals if not delivered by you. We can give you the command of a ship and our colors, but we can't invest in a suicidal mission by ourselves." 

Kuroo sat by Kenma's side, petting his head with a resigned expression and making the blonde frown in embarrassment of the display of affection, very red in the face. 

"They weren't simply taken by Shiratorizawa, Daichi. They had a bounty for their heads." Kuroo's face darkened, "They were handed out to the Navy." 

Daichi felt like the air was suddenly sucked out of the room, at the same time a chill ran down his spine. As pirates, they couldn't have a worse relationship with the Navy, especially with all the trouble they usually got in. If that was true, he'd have no time at all to save them. In fact, at the very moment, they could've already be-

"They're not dead, yet."

Kuroo rushed in, seeing the expression on his face, "It looks like you managed to piss off one the head generals. They'll be shipped Miyagi in a few days, and there will be a big event to celebrate their hanging. I'd say they have at least a week." 

Finally managing to breathe normally again, Daichi sat in the chair before them, leaning on his knees. 

"I know wind isn't blowing on our side now, but I need to get them. I owe them this."

Kuroo sighed, "Alone we can't," he paused and seemed to have a whole discussion with Kenma by the eyes, "Let it rest today. Go down at the bar, eat a little, drink - you look like you need it - and get some sleep. I'll get in contact with some people. Tomorrow we'll speak again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on Tumblr here: [Biltchibo](http://biltchibo.tumblr.com)


	6. Bargain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Help is finally there, things are looking optimistic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter went out of control.  
It was getting bigger and bigger and it just wouldn't stop, sorry if it's too big.  
On the bright side, MAH MAN IS FINALLY HERE!

**“They made a deal and they liked the deal, until they had to pay the price.”**

― **Brent Weeks, The Black Prism**

The clear night gave away for a hazy sunrise, and it was the same for the next two days. It was quite the phenomenon, the townsfolk said, it had arrived on the same night as Daichi's and had only gotten stronger by the days. It hadn't even been hot enough for that much. 

With all the fog there was a limited amount of things to do in Nerima. Daichi was restless and growing annoyed by the situation, but all Kuroo would say was ‘Stay calm, I have a solution,’ and it wasn't that Daichi didn't trust him. He did. But he also couldn't settle the feeling inside his chest. And he couldn't even go watch the waves since water meant merpeople and merpeople meant a promise he couldn't fulfill. And he wasn’t ready to face them yet, or ever.

Still, he strolled by the streets with any kind of alcohol in his cup and a friend by his side, helping wherever he could in the bar to keep himself from going almost batshit crazy.

He was already feeling somewhat dizzy when the buzzing started. People murmuring around the streets in a mixture of excitement and curiosity the closer he got to the precarious port, his own interest - and maybe one too many bottles of rum - getting the best over his self-preservation sense. 

The chill air of the morning sent a shiver down his spine as the mist gave away to a giant owl, claws out and beak stretched, that stopped a few moments of his face, it was majestic. The owl was immobile, and that was when Daichi realized two things: it was a stone one, a beautifully carved masterpiece intimidating whoever would be on the other side of the bow, and that he was much closer than anyone else had dared to be. 

He touched the feathers, a delicate work that had clearly suffered from the constant splash of saltwater against it. 

"She's beautiful ain't she?" a powerful voice came from the mist, “Got her pieced together around the Red Waters, ye know?” the man that appeared was certainly something.

If you put a picture of an owl overlaying the face of a human, put it all together on top of a bulky chest and thick arms and legs and then shocked it, you’d have the man standing in front of Daichi right now. His eyes wide and energetic, his hair was up in an unnatural way almost as in two horns, which matched his kind of mischievous aura he exhaled, much like he’d seen many times in Kuroo. The clothes he wore weren't pompous which was good, cuz it meant that he wasn’t by any forms an official, but weren't remotely as ragged as the pirates he was used to seeing. The white shirt tucked inside the breeches and the yellow vest, above it, a large coat, black, thick enough to protect a man from a hellish cold if closed. Daichi could see a pistol in his holster and a sword on the other side. 

But what impressed him the most, was the glimpse of a drawing by his collarbone, almost reaching his neck, as if creeping up always so slightly. 

Pirate indeed. 

Any pirate would recognize that tattoo. 

“It’s the best place to trade and restore, yeah,” he saw the glint in the eyes of the man looking proudly at the statue, “Even though I’m not exactly welcome there anymore.”

The smile he received after was definitely malicious, “Oh ho? And who is on those waters anyway?”

The man started walking, across the pier and towards the town. Daichi frowned, “What are you here for, may I ask.”

He turned, still smiling, the poor lighting casting angular shadows in his face, “You may ask, but I may not answer.”

Daichi watched as the man walked through people, greeting them, much like Daichi did in the morning after he arrived.

Who was he, was the question burning in his mind. He seemed confident enough about the town, people even smiling wholeheartedly at him as he walked by, which meant he'd been there enough to create a bond with a place that basically belonged to the cat-like duo, and to this moment Daichi was quite sure they didn't strike deals with any other pirate crew if not his. 

You know, the whole "never make deals with more pirates than one", and even then, never trust them. Because pirates. 

Sometimes you couldn't even trust your own crew. He’d heard not just once about crews turning against their captain, slaying or hanging or sometimes throwing him overboard in shark waters. There was little loyalty among pirates, and the tight feeling inside his chest told him he shouldn’t be relaxing while his friends were in the death row.

He spent a few minutes there, observing the water and mist blending together in a growing heavy vapor, searching for shapes among the air, until he found two bright blue spots in the water, unmoving, looking back at him. The chill sent down his spine was more than a good reason to get out of there. 

Daichi took another swig of the cup in his hands, the rum burning down his throat as he walked away.

As he was now, his anesthetized being didn’t feel an ounce of guilt towards them. If he was wrong about this, then let him be wrong. He had bigger problems to care about.

Later, when the afternoon gloom passed and the alcohol wasn’t so strong in his blood anymore, Daichi was called back to the cabaret, that looked brighter than what it usually was, full of life and people he’s never seen talking loudly and cheering. 

This time the pain hit him harder than on the first night. He could almost see his friends’ faces among all the others. Asahi would be on the other side of the bar, helping with the dishes, he’d always been a good cook, and then Noya would be right on the other side, watching him all bright eyes while he thought no one was seeing; Kiyoko would be in the same table with Ennoshita and Narita, probably watching Hinata and Tanaka embarrassing themselves singing drunken songs as Kinoshita played the lute; Tsukishima and Yamaguchi would have vanished as usual, preferring a quieter place to talk; then Daichi and Yachi would be close by, she would be working on some of her hobbies, perhaps writing, and he’d be happy, watching his crew enjoy these short moments.

Short they were, and now, maybe gone too.

The steps creaked as he got upstairs and he was told to come in before he could even knock, Daichi suspected that was the intention. Inside, the lights were dim and a soft melody played in the room, Kenma was once again sprawled on the sofa, a book in hands, but instead of being behind the table like last time, Kuroo was nowhere to be seen.

“The idiots are in the other room,” Kenma said in a bored tone, “They were too loud, so I sent them away.”

Daichi surely heard the laughs from the other door across the room.

“I would say you chose this idiot, but you already know that,” his tone was dripping in amusement.

Kenma gave him a hint of a smile, “You get what you get.”

When Daichi crossed the door he had expected to be greeted with rum and music, two friends sat at a table, being obnoxiously loud. 

To be fair, there was a table. 

Instead, the first thing he saw was the guy he'd seen earlier, a red bandana tied to his head and shirt open in a very dramatic way as they - Kuroo was right on top of the chair beside - sang "The Fisherman's Tale" at the top of their lungs, swinging their swords in a scenic fight as he stepped over the papers that used to lay innocently on the table. All of them had footprints as he kept dancing at the tabletop, soon enough, being joined in by Kuroo as he too climbed, continuing on their act. 

They both turned to Daichi as soon as he got closer, Kuroo's smile spread and he jumped on the table, that complained with a loud creak, and pointed his sword at him. 

"And I swear to this day, all the monsters at bay," Kuroo sang excitedly and swung the sword in his direction, turning his back to the other man. 

In response, he matched the pose also pointing the sword to Daichi, "I was born to empale!" 

They clicked their swords and Kuroo stretched his hand to Daichi, inviting him to join the song, "Though my hands may be frail~“ they held the syllable until Daichi gave in. 

He jumped on the chair, snatching a wood handle off the wall and joining them, “For forever I'll sail!" 

“It's the truth, it's the Fisherman Tale!" they finished together, laughing, and at that moment Daichi felt like he had more fun in those few seconds than in the whole fucking week. 

"Ay, Daichi!" Kuroo threw a hand on his shoulder, "This is Bokuto Koutarou, whom I hold close to brother," Bokuto waved at him, "He's here to help." 

Bokuto jumped from the table to the ground, turning into Daichi's direction with a quick bow, "Nice to finally meet ya, Kuroo wouldn't shut up about this pirate he made business with. I was almost jealous of my bro," he put the sword back to his hip.

Kuroo got down as well, and Daichi followed next. They shook hands. 

He was kind of impressed at how quickly Bokuto was convinced to help. He didn’t even know Daichi and probably nor the situation he was getting into. Pirates weren't good-hearted just like that. 

"So I heard ya could use a ship?" 

Daichi laughed, a bit too forced maybe, "I could use more than a ship." 

"'s a good thing I have more then," he dropped himself over the chair, "So what's the plan?" 

Daichi would have answered, ‘There's no plan,’ but Kuroo cut him first, getting three bottles of ale from under the table and offering them. They each got a bottle and saluted each other briefly.

"We'll discuss that after Iwaizumi gets here."

Daichi sat on the sofa across the room, "Iwaizumi as the Aoba Iwaizumi?" Kuroo nodded, "As in treasure hunters Aoba?"

"No, the tailors," Daichi wasn't amused, "Come on, there's just one crew called Aoba around the seas, you can't miss it." 

"Are you sure you can trust them? You don't usually make business with these kinds of people."

"You're right, they tend to break the deals and run away with the money," he opened the drawer, produced a paper out of it and showed them, it was an old bounty for an Aoba - any of them - head, "But if there's one thing the Aobas love more than gold, is vengeance. And he's had it since Shiratorizawa sent one of them for the hanging."

"So he'll help." 

"He will." 

"And when he's getting here?" 

Kuroo looked at the clock, "I'd give them a few more hours, they weren't close by but the Fortuna is fast enough."

"Not as fast as the Reaper," interjected Bokuto. 

"Never." 

Kuroo looked at Daichi, semblance suddenly serious, "Was it destroyed?" 

Daichi knew he was referring to Blue Moon, his former ship, his first and only ship they'd stolen from the Marine, "Not on sight, but she took a heavy hit. If they left her adrift, which I think they did, she probably didn't make it."

Kuroo hummed.

“We’ll sort that out later. For now, just be aware of them, they’ll be here soon,” Daichi nodded but Kuroo kept a wary eye on him. It was an unusual look on him, “Unless you want to wait here, we wouldn’t mind the company.”

“I think I’ll be heading out, wait for them by the beach.”

That didn’t change his expression, “Should I be worried about you?”

Probably not.

His entire crew was in mortal danger and it was entirely his fault because none of them would even be in pirating in the first place if it wasn’t for him.

They’d be living their lives peacefully if Daichi hadn’t stormed by and took them with him.

“Don’t worry about me. It’s too much, but I’m figuring it out.”

With that, Kuroo let him go.

Against better judgment, Daichi went on word, taking the ale bottle with him and sitting by the beach, waiting for the sight of the ship now that the fog had cleared out.

He was alone with his mind for almost five entire minutes. 

More than he expected if he were, to be honest.

There was a silver head poking out of the water and a face that Daichi had come to know well.

It became a fact that every night he’d dream of the beautiful brownish eyes judging him with the kind of look he knew Suga would have, making his insides squirm in shame and excitement. It was definitely not a surprise the first time it happened, the merman _ was _ undeniably pretty, and no, Daichi wouldn’t be opposed in spending more of a… quality time with him, if it wasn’t for the problem of ‘he probably hated his guts now’. The fact he could probably, and wasn’t entirely against, killing Daichi wasn’t all too surprising, it wouldn’t have been the first time with someone with the same intentions. But now, the third night in a row waking up bothered, it was getting kind of annoying and he’d like it to stop as soon as possible.

Perhaps if he met him once more and set things out they could both go on their own ways and Daichi would be able to take him out of his head.

That or Daichi would be haunted by him for a longer time for different reasons. Some tales told that mermaids were impossible to forget, that once someone was struck by their beauty they wouldn’t be able to forget until they received a kiss. In nine out of ten cases that resulted in certain death.

Daichi put his hands in his pocket, holding the braid firmly between his fingers. Strangely, a sense of easiness took over him. Maybe he should try to give them this? If the witch gave it to him, then maybe it was magical. 

She did say it would help.

Daichi sighed as he got up and closer to the figure, the merman awaiting for him. Still, he kept a safe distance from the water, instead, walking through the rocks that were solid enough to carry his weight. Close to the edge, Daichi sat down with crossed legs, resisting the temptation of putting his feet down the water. 

Suga, that had been watching him all the way, was now in front of him, arms crossed and the same expression he saw in many clients when the bread was taking too long in the morning.

"You're here, we've waited, give us the ring Daichi," hearing his name roll out of Suga's mouth was like throwing him in a very cold place and then heating him from the inside like an oven. His tone wasn't angry, but it was clear he was annoyed. 

Daichi was silent for a second, not knowing how to respond. Looking in his eyes, those damned beautiful eyes, Daichi tried to come up with courage to tell him the truth and maybe beg for their mercy, but it only made the feeling spread through his neck. He felt like a freaking teenager all over again, without any kind of control over his reactions.

Daichi felt overtaken by the need to do whatever Suga asked of him. 

He wanted Suga to leave, he wanted to comply and do anything he asked, and at the same time, he wanted to jump on the goddamn water and beg for a kiss, as if all his problems would be solved by one touch of his lips. 

Daichi was well aware that he was bewitched. Being manipulated, or at least more compliant, but he didn't feel the need to fight, on the contrary, he felt a scratch in the back of his mind, untying his worries one by one, telling him to give in-

His hand moved without him noticing, and then his head was clear again. He was holding the braid.

Sighing, Daichi felt his body fall back in track.

Suga frowned and tried again, “We’ve helped you, Daichi, we need the ring.”

But it didn’t have any effect this time.

Daichi would start sleeping with this braid too.

He felt a bit angry at Suga for trying to trick him again and it didn’t make him more inclined to help at all, "Because of that little travel we had for you to test me, I'm late. My crew is on their way to be hanged, so excuse me if you've not been my priority.”

"We had a deal,” he could tell Suga was getting angrier by the second.

Daichi moved back. At first, he didn’t notice anything, but looking at the merman now he could see the skin getting greener and scalier and… rough. His eyes were glinting yellow and the snarl in his white lips was hard to miss as well.

What even the fuck was that?

Suga’s ethereal beauty made space to something much more dangerous he didn’t actually think Suga was capable of. Which was a different perspective he hadn’t considered until that very moment. He was well aware he couldn’t be pulling favors, especially with how thin and breakable their relationship already was.

But they could help.

They were strong in the sea and fast and as Daichi just witnessed, intimidating as well.

If he could get them to help...

Daichi chewed on his lip, the dryness making the skin crack until he felt the taste of blood, "And a deal is a deal. Your ring you shall have," he got up from the sitting position, "Except… " 

Suga perked up at that, "What?" 

"If I give you your ring now, you'll leave." 

"Yes, that would be the point." 

Daichi took a second over to think about his words, taking a few steps back.

"But what if you lent me a hand before it?" Suga adopted an outraged posture, "I mean, it's not like you'd be any late or setback by this, this is supposed to help you find them right? Or something like this. But why go right away?" he sat down on his knees, "If you help me now I can provide food and protection on your entire way back to your family." 

Suga frowned, getting closer to the rocks, arms resting on them, "What are you saying, stop this nonsense! Give me the ring, that's our deal."

Daichi must have lost the last piece of sanity he possessed.

"Actually. Our deal was for you to help me find my crew, and as you can see," he looked around, "they're not here." 

The look on Suga’s face told him he thought Daichi was incredibly stupid, and right at the moment, Daichi couldn’t tell if he really wasn’t.

"Are you perhaps thinking to fool me?" he pushed himself upon the rock, now sitting on it a few feet away from Daichi, "I am no human you can trick. I am something you've never dealt with, I can do things your kind can only dream of achieving. The blood of my ancestors runs through my veins and you dare to try and defy it? Very well, be my guest and take your stand." 

There’s this moment where Daichi doesn’t understand well what happened.

He knows in one second, they’re both sitting and Suga got angrier by the words, and in the next one, he’s thrown himself of Daichi, and they’re rolling and it should be fucking impossible because that tail looks heavy as fuck but somehow Suga gets the better of him and is now sitting on him, holding him down with his face on the ground by a hand in the back of his head, sharp nails boring the skin of his shoulders. And he’s asking himself how this even happened, because he has a tail, on the ground, that should at least have given him some advantage.

Except Daichi can’t feel any kind of scaley wet tail by his side.

Instead, there are two very human legs straddling his back and holding him in place.

He feels Suga leaning down and talking something he can’t make out - there’s sand on his face - and takes the moment to turn them around, landing Suga’s back to the ground with a painful sound, and holding his hands firmly to the ground.

His curiosity takes the best of him when his eyes trail down while Suga is still debating himself trying to get free.

Daichi widens his eyes in surprise, feeling the blood head up to his cheeks and down on his lower stomach, "Ow, ok, ok. You're naked," he doesn’t deny he lets his eyes linger a little before looking away, "Very very naked."

Still somewhat embarrassed, Daichi lets go of him, sitting by his side before struggling off his coat and trying to cover his… bareness by wrapping him on it.

Hey, he’s still a gentleman, no matter what others say!

"Don't you touch me!" Suga is still struggling but now that he’s covered, Daichi can look back at him safely.

Kind of, he was still the prettiest thing he’s ever seen in the seas. Damn.

"Ok, it's ok. I'm trying to help." he tries a soothing voice as if talking to a wounded animal, holding up both hands in a sign of innocence, "You can't just go around walking like this,” he motioned to the covered body, but Suga made a face and it was clear he didn’t understand.

It made sense, It wasn’t like merpeople even wore clothes.

Daichi tried to focus on the bigger issue on the hand, “Since when do you walk, I thought you only had a tail?" 

Suga tried to advance on him once again but this time Daichi was ready, he got Suga’s arms and turned him so he was holding one arm in his back and the other around his waist.

He was naked again.

Daichi cursed as he lifted his eyes to the sky, feeling the flush creeping down his neck, not easing his grasp. He could tell only by the heat that his face was entirely red.

He was cute, dammit.

"Don't try to change subjects," he mumbled and Daichi brought him closer to hear, back fleshed against his chest in a tighter hold, it wasn’t necessary because the next phrase was told aggressively loud, "You don't play fair human, release me so we can spare."

Daichi sighed, "Ok. First, no one is sparing," Suga growled. Wait, he growled? "I don't intend to fight- stop pushing me!" he didn’t, but it did become half-heartedly, "Secondly, even if I did, you're bare naked and I have a gun, you're not exactly in a winning position either." Suga went for a bite and he almost got it, if Daichi hadn’t pressed the arm further up in his back then he would have probably lost his nose, "For hell's sake can you just calm down?" 

Begrudgingly, Suga stopped fighting.

"Thank you," Daichi sighed in relief.

He waited a few moments before letting go of Suga once again, and when he sat before him, Daichi handed the coat back.

They stayed in silence, he could see Suga ashamed of not having managed to submit him into defeat as he wanted.

"You surprised me, I didn't know you could do that." 

Suga snorted, not looking at him, "There are many things you don't know about me," his tone was all bite, no bark.

Daichi sat down on his knees, "Ok…?" when he was met with silence, he knew he would have to take the matter in his own hands, "Look, how about we start this over, ay? Lemme explain the situation and maybe take you a drink or two." 

Suga turned his eyes at him, slightly, as if he thought Daichi wouldn’t notice.

He did, and he knew what that meant: 

Suga was listening, even if he pretended he wasn’t.

"If you help me, and I'm being truthful to my word, I'll help you back. No more schemes, no more lies." Suga squinted his eyes, not believing in him as he did back on the beach. Fair enough, "And it won't take much time, it's a promise," Daichi crossed his heart like before. 

He saw the wheels turning in the merman’s head, he saw the distrust and the skepticism before he clicked his tongue.

“And what would that consist of?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on Tumblr here: [Biltchibo](http://biltchibo.tumblr.com)


	7. A Leap of Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga takes a leap of faith, but he's worried about the consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it's been a crazy month as we all know. 2020 came for all of us and that's a fact.  
My merman boys brought me some happiness though, and I hope they do the same for you.

**“We always see our worst selves. Our most vulnerable selves. We need someone else to get close enough to tell us we’re wrong. Someone we trust.”**

**David Levithan**

There's this peaceful moment in Suga's memory where he isn't quite sure when it happened but he knew that they were all infants and clearly had no sense of sacred. They were sprawled over the enormous rock whose peak raised to the sky above the ocean line, bathing under the soft sunlight that managed to break through the water. 

All four of them, laying in a comfortable silence – if you managed to ignore Oikawa's occasional chatter – completely oblivious to the ceremony happening back at the shoal. 

It didn't last long until the patrolling members found them. Suga had _ never _ been lectured that way before. That day he learned that your wants cannot come before the shoal needs, their lives and safety depended on _ all of them _ fulfilling their roles as one unit, working together for their survival and prosperity. They weren't children, they had responsibilities to bear. They _ could not _ afford to be selfish anymore. 

He never missed a ceremony nor a meeting again. He'd been the perfect example of a role model. 

But now they weren't at home anymore. He didn't have the wisdom or guidance of their elders, much less a manual to follow on how to act and he felt like half his age, lost and innocent and maybe too easily impressed. So Suga did the best he thought he could. 

The best, now, consisted of pretending to have had legs for all their lives, despite not _ once _having used them. 

"You look like baby gazelles." 

Suga didn't think that meant he was playing a very convincing role. 

Oikawa thought so too, "Yeah? Let's try tying your legs and throwing_ you _at the sea to see how that works for you," he said out of spite, before almost falling and being forced to hold himself at a strange tall tree that bent at the top half. 

The motion made _ something _ happen and suddenly a sphere fell from the sky, scaring them all. Minus Daichi, who pointedly ignored it and continued to sort through a pile of clothes he’d brought – another of the human costumes that seemed pointless, covering yourself in fabrics, how were they supposed to transform with those in the way?

He stared at the thing on the ground when Oikawa stretched his foot to touch it. It was brown and… Had a type of _ hairy skin _? And besides falling, it didn't seem to be moving anymore. 

"What's _ this _?!" Kageyama pointed, in a mix of surprise and curiosity, asking Daichi. 

Suga was curious too but pretended not to, choosing not to say anything. He had been making a point of ignoring Daichi’s antics since he’d lost the fight, feeling too embarrassed by being subdued so quickly by a human, even if they were on land.

Daichi looked over, squinting his eyes visibly confused at the oddball and then at them, “You don’t know what a coconut is?”

“_ Coconut _?” Akaashi said in an amazed way.

In terms of knowledge, especially about humans, Keiji has always been the most interested, alas, the only one who actually researched them willingly and not by being forced to study - understand the enemies, they said. It always came as a surprise when he didn’t know about something.

Daichi nodded in understanding, “Hm, yes, coconuts,” he grabbed a yellow fabric from the pile and handed it to Oikawa nonchalantly, “They’re punishment from the _ Gods _, they usually fall on the heads of traitors.”

Suga stopped dead on tracks. 

“What?” he couldn't stop himself from asking. 

“Oh, yeah, there’s a whole myth on it, of a guy who betrayed a God and etcetera, revenge, blood, _ a giant ball falls into his head _ ... It’s a bad omen when one falls too close to you,” he looked at Tobio, smiling so nicely Suga was almost sure it was fake. “So be careful, and stick around, _ yes _?”

Tobio nodded vigorously, obviously buying the story, but Oikawa snarled, “Do you expect us to believe in this blatant lie? Telling me that my mother is a starfish is far more believable than that,” he held the fabric as if it was a forsaken thing, “And _ how _am I even supposed to ‘wear’ this?”

It was not a surprise when Oikawa had opposed to the idea at first, adamant on not sparing a single second more in the company of such an inferior being as a human, but as they both discussed their options, it was clear they needed some guidance instead of roaming aimlessly on something so vast as the ocean, looking for a moving target all alone. Safety wouldn’t be unwelcome either. And as the plan didn’t involve getting exposed, merely guiding their rote, it shouldn’t be too much trouble.

So he complied and promised to try being more cooperative. 

He was_ trying _.

“This-” Daichi took it back- “is a shirt.”

He opened it and slipped his arms inside. _ Of course _ they had seen shirts before, they weren’t idiots, Suga wanted to say, but they hadn’t tried to wear one before, as Daichi should’ve figured.

“And do you humans wear this _ all _ the time?” Tobio grabbed it, observing closely.

“Usually? There are occasions and different types of shirts. You wear what you’re most comfortable with,” Daichi explained, seeing him put the shirt on and trying to close it once again, “But as _ pirates _, we don’t really care what we’re wearing as long as it’s practical while sailing.”

“Then why are we using these…” Suga could see the wheels turning in Oikawa’s head not to say something insulting, “... not… _ practical _… stuff.” He pointed at what Daichi had called shorts. They were all wearing pants, but Oikawa wore something shorter, reaching two palms farther than knee length. He said he chose those because they were easier to wear but Suga knew he was only curious about his legs and was taking every chance to observe them.

“_ I think something is wrong... _” Tobio muttered and then frowned at the piece.

“Well, you can’t go around _ naked _ . That’s the basic you need to know.” Daichi told Oikawa before fixing Tobio’s shirt, saying that it looked weird because he skipped a button. “Unless you wish to be arrested for nudity. And as you're not pirates, so these are common clothes.” Daichi avoided commenting on how the shorts weren't common on the street rather than the beach. “And it’s not like any of you would convince _ anyone _that you’re experienced at the sea with that picky attitude.”

“_ Excuse me _? We are more part of the ocean than you’ll ever dream of being.”

Suga decided this was a good time to barge in before they started a discussion for the fourth time in minutes. Oikawa’s goodwill would only take him so far and Suga was not keen on discovering _ how _ far. Besides, looking at all the clothes Daichi gathered Suga felt curiosity prickle his skin.

“Where did you get all of these?” he said, picking up a blue plain shirt, much like Tobio’s, but with no buttons on it, “I mean, you couldn’t possibly know what we were going to do before we agreed on this. And to get so many clothes in the spare of a couple of hours? That’s rather impressive.” He hadn’t meant to praise, it slipped, okay?

“Are they easy to get? Where do you find them?” Akaashi continued. He looked so interested it almost hurt. He’d never been like this even during classes growing up.

He, as Suga too, was an incredible student and an excellent member of the shoal, but his eyes never sparkled with interest like they were doing every time they saw something new on the surface. And they haven’t even left the beach yet. This was also the most excited and talkative Suga has seen him, even if he maintained his collected posture, someone who knew Keiji the way Suga did could see how different he was acting.

“Uh-” Daichi scratched his head- “There are places, we call it shops, where you buy all kinds of things, including clothing, but these…” he cleared his throat, “Well, let’s say I _ borrowed _it.”

And Daichi felt lucky that the concept of buying was also foreign for them, so it easily slipped through their attention without problems. He didn’t know how they would react if they knew he stole the clothes.

As they chose, Daichi helped them get dressed. After, they tried practicing walking some more while it was Daichi’s turn to ask questions as he sat on the sand.

“And there’s anything else I need to know? Things to be careful about? Ways to forcefully transform you back that should be avoided?”

Suga gave two firm steps before feeling his legs tremble, “There’s not much that we know about this, not many merpeople are curious about _ this _. It’s magic, and like magic, it’s unstable.”

“But we need to be back by sunrise,” Oikawa amended, much more stable on foot now.

Sometimes it envied Suga how easily Oikawa managed to learn things.

“Why?” Daichi asked.

“We don’t know,” Akaashi said and looked at Suga, trying to imitate his stance, “It’s part of the spell, I suppose. It’s just how it works.”

“We can stay the whole day and night, and then transform again right after it’s up, but never let the sunrise shine on us in this form,” Suga walked towards him, his legs almost supportive of him, and helped Keiji fix his balance.

“There’s another thing,” Tobio said, frustrated with his own feet. “We can’t touch saltwater.”

“Oh, yes, that too. We transform back at the same moment.”

Daichi squinted his eyes again, looking they wobbling around, “Got it. Water touches, fishtail.” Daichi sighed, fingers holding his temple, “That will be kind of difficult if I’m taking you with me. On a boat. Literally in the _ middle of the ocean _.”

Not their problem. It was his idea, to begin with.

Daichi watched them for a few more moments before getting up, “If there's no more warning, I think we’re ready to meet them.”

And Suga wasn’t entirely sure if that was true.

There are little things Suga thought that could surprise him, human communities were _ not _one of them, and yet they did.

In the tiny space that they were allowed to go through in the town’s narrow streets, bumping elbows against each other as Daichi guided them further inside several alleys and a crowded square, almost losing himself among the heads. It was messy and loud and demanding attention, incredibly different than what he was used to seeing. There was no order whatsoever as people jumped in front of him and pushed objects at his face, trying to convince him of something he didn’t quite understand because of all the noise around. It seemed alive in a completely different way the ocean did.

As the minutes went by with all the walking, Suga felt himself grow more tired at every step, and if the faces of his brothers were anything to go by, they felt it too. 

Having legs was a curious experience. It didn’t felt wrong as he thought it would, but it did feel different. New, almost exciting.

Suga jiggled his toes inside the shoes Daichi gave him. They were squeezing his feet in an uncomfortable way and he wasn’t enjoying having them on better than walking on sand, but Daichi had said they were meant to protect his foot so he didn’t complain. It warmed his cheeks every time he remembered Daichi kneeling in front of him, telling him not to worry and that they would have more comfortable clothes to wear when they arrived, and Suga was sure it was from the heat, not embarrassment.

They came to a stop in front of a large building Suga didn’t recognize from the stories he heard.

It didn’t look like a home, where a couple would raise their children and get older until their inevitable demise. He’d read about it in one of the _ many _plates they possessed in the archives, words carved into stone. It also didn’t remotely resemble a temple, like the ones they visited for devotion to their god.

As it seemed usual from all the places he’d seen on their way, there were people in and out of the building, talking loudly and being obnoxious, grabbing themselves by the neck and laughing, hopping around as if there was no moment happier in their lives. But actually, the building itself didn't look so bad. The holes on the walls covered with glass and adorned in wood, the walls itself painted a deep dark red, reminding of old corals he'd find if he went to the right places on warmer waters. 

“It’s in here, come on.”

“And _ what, _ exactly, is this place?” Oikawa said and contorted his face in disgust.

Which, honestly, by the smell of the outsides, Suga could relate.

He also didn’t want to go in.

“This-” he slapped the door trim excitedly- “is the best place you could’ve wished for around town. This is where help lives, my way back to my crew!”

“We should not rely on first appearances then,” said Kageyama.

“Don’t be rude,” Suga heard Akaashi whispering to him.

He was sure Kageyama didn’t even notice his off-putting commentary in the first place.

As they walked inside, Suga noticed it was far nicer than what they had seen firstly, minus the people, as they looked as ragged and drunk as outside. The smell of cooked food and alcohol wasn’t something they were used to, but he could certainly get in no time at all. The walls were warm and the cheerful atmosphere made them feel surprisingly welcomed. 

Daichi guided them through the tables, apologizing every time they bumped on someone by accident. 

Damned legs and their lack of coordination. 

They came to a stop as Daichi jumped the first two steps. They were _ not _ ready for that. 

"Uh- You stay here, sit somewhere and rest, I'm going up there to convince them and… I don't know, we figure it out then." 

And upstairs he went. 

Leaving them awkwardly standing in the middle of the room. 

Someone tapped his shoulder, "Excusi. I needs to goes throu'" 

And the man passed, drunk and wobbling around as if affected by the motion of a boat. 

Another person went through them, bumping elbows with Kageyama, who spit the words in an outraged tone, "Oe, careful, _ human _!" 

The man, poorly educated if Suga was allowed to say, looked old and tired and bold. Suga would guess if it was perhaps to the scowl he was sending them, but the marks of his face enhanced it as if they were molded into it. Unlike their elders, strict and still wise and kind, the man looked ready to throw hands with the next person. 

Oikawa pinched Tobio’s arm in order to shut him up, waving embarrassingly to the person looking at them with a scrunched up face, "Yes, human. You're human, _ I'm _ human, _ we’re humans _! Nothing wrong to see here, he just likes to… Call us by what we are." Oikawa stopped, seeing if he was being any convincing, "It's a religious thing." 

The man crinkled his nose for a second before turning away grumbling about bloody youngsters and their weird tendencies.

Relief washed through them and Suga tried to find a place for them to sit. He spotted one and it was on the opposite side of the entrance, behind a plant and almost hidden from curious looks, and even with the place being crowded and barely having no space left whatsoever, no one did any mention to catch it before them.

“If my mentor could see me now, I’d be on scrubbing duty for the _ rest _of my life.” Oikawa flicked dust off the table with a disgusted expression.

The table was round and Suga sat turned to the exit, Oikawa in front of him and Kageyama and Akaashi at their sides.

Akaashi looked at Suga, head leaned on his hand and vague eyes, he was strangely quiet since the last time they’d seen him, and that was before he met Daichi on the surface. And though Suga wasn’t as extroverted as Tooru, or as composed as himself, he wasn’t one to just stand by and let someone lead, even if he was kind and caring Suga was stubborn and once he had his mind set on something there’s only so much one could do to change his mind. 

If it were anyone else, Akaashi would think the weight of the situation was finally downing on him and he was succumbing to pressure, but that was _ not _Suga. 

Akaashi placed a hand over his other arm, calling for his attention, and Suga gave him a tight-lipped smile.

“Are you not feeling well? Is there a problem with the transformation?”

Suga looked over to their side where Oikawa mindlessly teased Tobio and back at him. 

“It’s nothing.”

Akaashi’s brows furrowed, he didn’t understand why Suga was lying to him and made it very clear that he wasn’t happy either.

“It’s just-” he brought his voice down- “if I tell you this you have to keep quiet.” When Akaashi nodded he continued, “This isn’t good, I’m having doubts and- And I don’t have doubts! I _ can’t _ have doubts, but this isn’t right! On one hand, I can choose to thrust this human and if I’m right, we’ll have help, and that’s not even a guarantee of finding the shoal _ ever _ again. Even then, we’d have to help this insane plan of passing ourselves as humans and doing who knows what so I won’t break my promise to help again. If I’m wrong, _ we all die _.”

Akaashi sat back, pondering, “And on the other hand we may roam the entire ocean by ourselves and never find the shoal anyway.”

“Yes.”

They were both silents for a moment, Suga looking increasingly helpless as he watched Akaashi’s face writhe in waver and frustration. He finally sighed and let his hands rest on the table, sober as ever as if Suga hadn’t just opened the Pandora box of insecurities right before him.

“We trust you.”

“I know that, but that doesn’t mean I’m doing the right choices here.”

Yes, he had a point, but still, “_ We trust you _ ,” Akaashi repeated. “I know you don’t feel ready yet, and I know that’s why you choose to work with the infants instead of accepting a place in a higher rank, but _ you are _ . There’s not much I can do to help if not assure you that we will follow you wherever you go because we _ know _you’ll try your best for us.” He reached over, taking Suga’s hand between his and giving it a comforting squeeze. “I wouldn’t say that about most of them back in the shoal.”

Warmth settled in his chest. It wasn’t enough so that his doubts would simply vanish and he’d happily face whatever was expecting for them in this incredibly unstable choice of road, and he knew that them setting their trust at him could be disastrous, but it made him feel a little more confident.

"Thank you." He felt, not for the first time and certainly not for the last, grateful for having Akaashi there with them. "You always know what to say." 

"Well, not always, but I do try my best." 

Akaashi smiled at him, he Suga smiled back.

"Oi, stop staring you weirdo!" Oikawa yelled at someone at the bar. He had fully turned on the chair and now was gripping hard to stop himself from going full attack as Suga knew he could. 

He leaned forward in his direction whispering, "Ok, ok, that's it- Stop yelling! Listen up. We can all agree this is weird. We can all agree we're not happy, but at least let's try and not take out on innocent people." 

While Suga tried to keep his tone down, Oikawa took that as an incentive to be more than noisy, "Innocent, you say. They were staring at us like prey. All I see are lecherous, rakish humans- look at them, they're just waiting for an excuse to throw a fight!" 

"Fight?!" a voice with no face was heard somewhere among the heads on the place. 

"FIGHT!" 

And then all hell breaks loose. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on Tumblr here: [Biltchibo](http://biltchibo.tumblr.com)


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